Bluebird
by cupcakedestroyer123
Summary: How best friends came to be. Too bad they didn't realize the weight it carried when they did so. Now they are stuck with each other whether they like it (not that they would ever admit that out loud) or not. Aoko x Kaito. Slighty AU?
1. Chapter 1

Honestly she didn't know what to make of what her day out.

There was so much that had occurred recently in her life that she still wasn't completely sure whether her life was turning around for the better or for the worse.

It had been four days since Aoko and her father moved into their new home in Edoka.

For the first two days, both spent their day by unpacking and once that was mostly done, her father took her to a nearby elementary to enroll her for school.

Afterwards, they went out to buy her uniform and school supplies she might need.

She luckily had all weekend to mentally prepare for the monstrosity that is school, but she knew it would be a short lived escape.

She would be lying if she said she was looking forward to entering a new school, but that's exactly what she did when her father asked her how she felt.

To say the least, she never liked school for many reasons, but she refused to burden her father with her worries and instead wore a smile on her face and bounced around him in false excitement, causing him to let out a throaty chuckle and ruffle her hair.

And seeing her father laugh and smile like that had reinforced her decision was the right one. But that didn't erase the guilt she felt for lying to him.

But all this enjoyment she genuinely received from spending time with her father came to an end when he got a call that evening from his work informing him that they had just received a heist notice from that stupid attention seeking criminal.

Her father's face fell slack in guilt when he turned to her to explain how he was needed back in the station and saw the disappointment flashed in her eyes that she had desperately tried to hide but failed in succeeding.

They sat in silence for a while and just before she was able to open her mouth and tell him not to worry about her and go do his job, her father beat her to it and promised her to take her out to the town just before noon on Sunday, his day off, so they can see the town's clock tower. The clock tower that they had passed by earlier in the day when they went out shopping.

She knew he was just trying to consolidate her by making it up for the fact he was technically still on leave and had made it his mission to spend time with her, but his words made her happy nonetheless.

And with that promise, her father helped her clean up the dining table where they were eating before the call, kissed her head and left the house with a reminder thrown over his shoulder of "remember to brush your teeth before bed. Love you."

And he was gone.

And she was left alone.

Again.

* * *

Her Saturday consisted of staying at home and finishing unpacking the few boxes left, that for the most part consisted of decorations to place around the house.

Not once did her father called nor did he show up when it was time for bed, which could mean that the appointed time for the heist must be coming up very soon, probably in a day or two if she had to guess.

Giving out a short notice wasn't really Kaito Kid's style of doing things, mainly because she knew he is (acted like, in Aoko's opinion, rather than being) a gentleman. And it was rude to send an invitation so late, giving the invitee such little time to prepare.

No, it wasn't really his style but there has been times over the years in which it had happened before so it wasn't too odd to figure out this was another of those times.

And it was due to her experience in such occurrences that Aoko was certain that her father will break his promise.

* * *

Once it was Sunday nearing the appointed time in which her father said they would go to the clock tower, Aoko thought about calling her father reminding him before waving that thought away.

As she watched the time tick by in silent contemplation, she decided to throw caution to the wind and got up, straightening the pink dress she decided to wear for the day, before grabbing the house keys and some money before heading out the door.

Her father might become furious that she decided to go to the city to see the clock tower by herself but she wanted to take that chance.

And besides, she couldn't help but have the small hope inside of her that was sprouting how he might remember and try to meet her there. No matter how ridiculous she knew that sounded, she couldn't help but believe in it and motivate her to head to the tower anyways.

She had arrived there rather easily by hopping on a few buses and walking for most of the way.

Despite only being downtown once, on Friday, she knew her way around town fairly easily and this was due to her father's paranoia.

Right before they moved to Edoka, her father had forced her to study the cities' transportation system and making sure she was familiar with a numerous amount of routes that lead to key landmarks in the off chance that she had somehow gotten lost and needed to navigate her way around town. While she had complained at the time, she was glad at how useful it turned out to be.

She glanced at the clock tower which read half a quarter after eleven.

She looked around at the flow of people walking on the sidewalk. There were many in professional wear walking about. Understandable seeing as there was many businesses nearby, indicated by the high rising posh buildings. There was a park nearby as well as a few restaurants which possibly gave reasons as to why many people were out and about instead of slaving away in their offices. They were probably on their lunch break and while some were using that time for just that, eating lunch, their were others that instead were using their time to stretch out their legs.

It was due to this observation that the hope in Aoko swelled up a bit.

There might be a chance in which her father might show up during his lunch break for a brief moment and fulfill his promise.

It was this thought that drove her find a bench to sit on that had a good view of the street, making it easy to spot her father and vice versa once he arrived.

And it was this hope that had kept her seated and waiting for him for nearly four hours.

She could feel her smile fall bit by bit as she stared at the pedestrians bumbling about, laughing and smiling and having a splendid time while she wallowed in her self destructive thoughts.

It was then, when she was watching a father getting pulled by his son heading to the park with bright smiles on their faces, that a bluebird stooped down and landed in front of her, jumping around and cocking its head to look at her.

Normally, she would be fascinated at the proximity it stood near her instead of being scared off but she didn't have the heart for such romantisms today.

She numbly stared at it for the next few moments before watching it fluttering its wings and taking to the sunny sky.

It was only then that she recalled reading somewhere that the bird represents happiness.

Her impassive mask dropped to a bitter smile at the irony.

She continued to watch the bird until it flew out of her eyesight and turned back to stare at the ground, her thoughts turning to her father.

How many times has her father broke his promises to her?

How many times has she still waited and hoped that he would come and honor them?

How many times has she found herself disappointed and alone?

_Too many times too count._

She hated how no matter how much her father had failed to be there for her, she still clung onto that miniscule hope that her father would keep his promises and spend more time with her like a fool who never learned their lesson.

But she knew her father wasn't really the one to blame, at least not entirely. He was just doing his job as the leader in his division.

No, if she had to blame anyone as to why her life was the way it is, it was all due to one man,

The international thief 1412,

Kaito Kid.

The criminal who had taken everything in her life.

Kaito Kid, the thief who had taken her father away from her, but as well as her mother.

Kaito Kid, the man who murdered her mother and left her father widowed and her motherless.

She hated him.

No, _despised_ the man with every fiber of her body.

Kaito Kid...the only person she could never forgive in her entire life.

It was due to the clock tower's chime indicating that the time was three in the afternoon that shook her out of her spiralling hatred.

She let out an inaudible sigh realizing it was best to go home. He wasn't going to come as she expected.

She stood up, stretching out her muscles and grimincing at how stiff and numb she was from the disuse, before turning once more to glance at the clock tower before letting out another sigh. She couldn't hide her disappointment and frustration from her face anymore. Not that it really mattered anyway since she was heading back home and screw with keeping up appearances in public. At this point, she really didn't care what people thought of her unlike how she usually did.

She turned around back to the road she was going to take, only to quickly step back in surprise when she nearly bumped into a boy who was standing directly in front of her, only a few inches away from her.

She was about to offer an apology before making her way around the boy and go her merry way but something made her pause.

It was boy's bright blue eyes that shone in mirth at her reaction.

'_His eyes are the same color as that bird…' _Aoko realized.

There came a short silence as Aoko observed the boy in front of her. He stood still, unmoving, and stared back at her.

She didn't know exactly why she just stood there, but she got a feeling that something was going to happen, a sort of anticipation feeling. One she wasn't able to identify whether it was favorable or not due to the boy's blank face that gave nothing away; well except for his eyes. His eyes shone so bright and looked so playful, Aoko found herself being drawn in by them.

And when Aoko was distracted by the shades of blue the boy's eyes would change when the sunlight kissed them, the boy suddenly pushed out his hand in a fist towards her and stopped abruptly, a few inches away from her face.

Aoko couldn't help but flinch back, despite her late reaction.

'_Was that boy going to hit her just now?!'_

And just as Aoko felt her blood boil and opened her mouth to yell at the boy, throwing in some curses she overheard her father say when speaking on the phone about a certain white cladded thief for good measure to express how furious she felt, the boy's hand did a sort of flipping motion and suddenly there in his hand was now a blue rose.

The words died at her mouth before she was even able to audibly utter them and instead her jaw slackened.

The rose came out of _nowhere_.

One moment there was nothing in his hand and the next moment there was a beautiful blue rose, seemingly blooming to life right in front of her eyes.

It was almost like _magic_.

The boy grinned like he won the lotto as he saw the wonderment and confusion settling into her features.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you," the boy introduced.

She blinked a couple times in a daze before realizing her mouth was still gaping open and she still hadn't moved to accept the rose he was holding out towards her.

Flustered, she snapped her mouth shut, with an audible _'clang'_ when her teeth connected, and hastily took hold of the rose. She started to inwardly panic immediately afterwards since it looked like she all but snatched it from him, making heat rise to her cheeks as she bowed low and shakily stammer out her introduction in response to his own polite one.

"A-ah I'm Nakamori Aoko. N-nice to meet y-you too."

She rose from her bow to face the boy, opening her mouth once more to thank him for the gift when he interrupted her train of thought.

"Hey Aoko chan, are you busy? My mom isn't going to pick me up for another hour and I'm tired of wandering around town so I was thinking if you weren't busy that we could go the park near here and play to you know, relieve boredom."

Aoko blanched. She was taken aback not only because this was the last thing she expected to hear after only just introducing themselves but also as to how quick the boy had called her by her first name. She wasn't sure whether he was just very friendly or if he was teasing her and lacked manners.

As Aoko was silently contemplating this, the boy seemed to impatiently bounce on his feet waiting for her reply, only to grow tired a second later and deciding that if she had enough time to think about his offer then she had time to spare.

He took hold of her hand causing Aoko to jerk out of her thoughts as they began to jog to the park a few blocks away, him leading and pulling her along while she trailed on behind him.

"W-wait! I never said I was free to go play," Aoko yelled out startled by the quick change in events.

Well she was technically free seeing as she knew her father wouldn't be back until at earliest night time, but she didn't want this boy to know that. Who drags random strangers against their wills? People with ill intention that's who and she was not about to share that she was alone for the next few hours to this boy even if their appearances suggest that they are around the same age. Nope, her father taught her better and she shouldn't be so trusting to strangers.

"I don't see you trying to stop me so you must be free," the boy reasoned and laughed at hearing her spluttering out sounds as she tried to form a coherent sentence to contradict with his audacious conclusion.

That comment while true, had irked her. She was about to pull away from the boy's hold just to prove him wrong when she felt his hand loosen against hers as if ready to let her go if she decided to pull away.

It was then that she thought back to what he had previously had said. He had been walking around town alone to kill time for god knows how long, waiting for his mother to come pick him up.

_Alone...huh?_

_Sounds like someone I know…_

She glanced down at her free hand holding the rose he gave her.

She had her answer.

She tightly grasped her hand in his, forming a stronger hold before pushing ahead of Kaito, now leading him to the park.

It only took a second before she felt his hand hold her back just as tightly as she was holding his, his laughter bubbling out infecting her to let out one of her own.

She liked hearing his laugh, she decided then.

Caution be damned.

* * *

AN: Hello! Not the best part to stop at, but my motivation died and I couldn't force myself to continue.

This is my first anime fanfic I tried my hand in and would appreciate any feedback!

Also note that Aoko will be quite different here, or at least and hopefully written more in depth. If there are any discrepancies to canon, I'd like to apologize but please consider this AU of sorts seeing as some things will be different.

Please let me know if anyone is interested in this story because I do have some plans for it but I'm not sure if I should continue this.

Thank you all for reading!^^


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Cops and Robbers

* * *

"To paint a picture, you must have details. Otherwise, the picture won't look complete."

The delighted airy tone advised her.

It was odd how vividly she could remember that room despite her young age.

The hard wooden chair that was never comfortable no matter what position you sat on.

The warmth of the sun filtering through the window, filling the large room with a tranquil ambiance.

The clock placed high on the wall annoyingly ticking away, serving as a reminder only to be forgotten more times than not by the two figures present.

The small statue of a crowned woman in robes staring at herself in the mirror while a serpent wrapped around her arm.

It wasn't until she was older that she recognized the figure. It was a statue of Prudentia. The allegorical figure that represented virtue, often presented in par with Justitia, the Goddess of Justice. Prudence in its Latin base, Providentia, meant looking ahead or sagacity.

While she grew to be fond of the figure in her later years, she thought otherwise in her early childhood. She thought of the figure to be vain, too preoccupied by her self image rather than of the deadly serpent slowly making its way to her neck, ready to strangulate the clueless woman. In her mind, the figure served as a reminder to be aware of one's surroundings or else there shall be consequences in turn.

"But we're not painting!"

Was the frustrated and annoyed response she would always mumble, whenever she heard that advice.

The older woman would snort elegantly-as elegant a snort could be-back at her before continuing her lesson of the day, always amused by her reactions no doubt.

She could remember every little decoration or detail in that room, the lessons she was taught, the intonation of her voice, and more. She could remember everything.

She could remember how the woman was always so amused by the things she said or didn't say. The latter she came to realize was due to her expressiveness in not only her face but body as well.

How one of the woman's favorite past time whilst facing the clutches of boredom was to go to a populated area such as a shopping center and just observe people and study their actions and personality.

She could even remember the scenarios she found herself in as soon as she walked through the doors to that room.

The woman was eccentric and frighteningly curious of everything and everyone.

She remembers many things.

Everything except one thing.

For the life of her, she couldn't remember the woman's appearance.

.

.

.

.

She couldn't remember her own mother's face.

* * *

_What am I doing?_

For the past hour, Aoko kept questioning this.

As soon as they arrived at the park's playground, Kaito took one of her hairpins and started running away, yelling out that they were playing cops and robbers and she was the cop.

Dumbstruck, Aoko watched him dangerously put some distance between them before the reality of the situation struck her like a bus and she ran after him, absolutely irritated by the absurdity of it all.

She barely knew the boy!

She has only spoken a few words to him and only knew of his name!

Her irritation flourished as he cocked his head to the side, giving a smug grin before pulling down his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at her.

Her left eye twitched and suddenly she saw red.

_Oh he was going down_.

She started sprinting after him, closing the distance fairly quickly, smiling like a mad woman hell bent on revenge. Kaito's eyes widen in surprise before he too started to sprint away, determined to win the game at all costs, and it wasn't because he wanted to be the winner, not after seeing death itself chase after him.

As childish it seemed, Aoko absolutely loathe being looked down upon and she felt exactly that whenever she closed the distance between them, only for Kaito to speed up ahead and throw her a smile back at her as if to convey that she wouldn't be able to capture him.

This fueled her to keep going despite passing her physical limitations quite a while ago. That and those impish faces he'd throw in the mix of glances and smiles.

Honestly, their chase must have looked ridiculous from an outside point of view.

The two were leaping over other children like hurdles, swinging into the air with the swings before breaking their fall by tucking and rolling, using the bars of the jungle gym to push off before performing several acrobatics, heck at one point, Kaito started to do parkour and while Aoko wasn't too familiar with the style, she was determined not to be out done by him.

All the while, Aoko kept questioning herself, 'Just what on Earth am I doing?'

But she couldn't help but feel impressed by Kaito's skill and spontaneity.

It wasn't everyday that you'd meet a stranger who had enough gall to steal from you and then force you to do an Olympic training course with them.

It was rare to see anyone, much less a kid her age, that had this level of fitness and after cooling her head from her bursts of irritation, she found it odd.

The way Kaito kept adapting the course once he was sure she was able to keep up, almost made her feel like he was getting a read on her physical attributes.

And that thought alone startled her enough to cause her to lose focus for a split second. She lost her footing and fell face first into the lovely fresh patch of mud in front of her.

She laid there for a moment, cursing her terrible balance and mentally crying over how difficult it will be to remove the stains off her dress before pushing off the ground a bit to be on her hands and knees.

It was then she noticed the hand held out to her.

She looked up and saw Kaito standing in front of her, offering her his hand with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?"

Aoko's focus went down to his hand again.

She never knew what came over her to grab his offered hand and push him into the mud with her, but that's exactly what she did and she savored the surprised high pitched yell Kaito made as he fell.

There was a beat of silence before Kaito's head shot up, mud dripping off of his cheeks and forehead, and gave her a wicked animalistic grin.

Aoko's satisfaction was short lived once she saw the feral grin.

She had to get away from Kaito.

She tried pushing herself upwards to sprint away when a hand shot out and took hold of her ankles, causing her to fall once again face first into the mud.

Her eye twitched as her head lifted from the ground to see Kaito turn red watching her from his seated position before he couldn't hold it any longer and his laughter spilled out causing his whole being to shiver with mirth.

She had it with the monkey.

She tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him from the surprise attack.

Kaito retaliated by grabbing a handful of mud and shoving it into her face and soon the two started mud wrestling.

There was no purpose other than having the sweet satisfaction of seeing the other covered with mud.

After what seemed like an eternity, they were at a standstill. Aoko was able to get the upper hand by a well executed trick on her part.

Kaito had pinned her down so her head was pressed into the mud and her hands were in his hold behind her. With such a compromised position, Aoko had a limited amount of options she could use. She knew her physical strength were lacking so ultimately it only left her with one option.

Aoko started to cry out in pain causing Kaito to loosen his hold immediately, worried that he had gone too far, before Aoko flipped herself around and pushed Kaito back, pinning him to the ground with both her hands beside his head.

Kaito went still in shock, staring up into her victorious eyes.

Aoko stared down at Kaito, determined not to let him get out of her hold and tightened her legs around his to make sure of it.

Both stared into the other's eyes as they fought to catch their breaths. The fatigue was beginning to set in now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

But Aoko could tell Kaito was far off better than she was. While he was breathless, his breathing was far more controlled than her practically hyperventilating state.

Aoko had barely caught the words spilling forth from Kaito's mouth from her pounding eardrums as she tried to calm her breathing.

"I yield. You won."

Kaito sighed out in defeat looking as if he'd lost his country. His eyes grew a glassy shine to them, looking past her to the sky as if to express his inner turmoil.

Aoko ever so intelligent, replied with a "huh," pointedly ignoring Kaito's sudden flair for theatrics.

He rolled his eyes at her, a bit disappointed he didn't get a reaction for his performance, before neutralizing his expression and clarified, "the game."And with Aoko's still vacant eyes he continued, "you know, cops and robbers?"

Aoko's eyes lit up in recognition.

The game that started this hellish workout regime.

_Ah that's right! He still had her hairpin._

Aoko's eyes made contact with his. Her breathing finally becoming steady.

"So can I get my hairpin back?"

Aoko's brow furrowed a bit as she watched Kaito made no indication to move and just stare at her.

_Was he not planning on returning it?_

Did she misread his personality as a playful troublemaker when he was actually a thieving bully?

With that thought, Aoko suddenly became unnerved by his blank stare.

Her hands grew clammy and her chest felt heavy as her thoughts ran amok.

No, she won't let him get away with it.

Not again.

She was different now.

She swore that things were going to change for the better.

She won't let it happen.

"-y. HEY!"

Aoko was startled out of her thoughts with the shout and it was only then that she noticed she was hyperventilating.

"Are you okay?" Kaito asked worriedly, brows furrowed in concerned confusion.

Calm down.

Breathe.

You're fine.

_You're fine_.

Aoko took a moment to slow her breathing and calm her erratic heart rate before putting on a smile and responding.

"Sorry...I think our game tired me out more than I thought. It's the most exercise I had in one go...What did you say?"

A vague explanation with a half truth to try to cover what transpired but it was the best she could come up at the moment. It was true that this was the most diverse exercise she did in a long while. She just hoped that he wouldn't notice her lie and buy her excuse.

Kaito frowned a bit before all expression left his face once more, giving nothing for her to read.

She never met someone like him before.

How could someone be such a blank canvas?

Truthfully, it unnerved her a bit.

"I said, how can I give your hairpin back while in this position?"

_Eh? What does that mean?_

It was only then that Aoko noticed that she was still straddling Kaito, restricting his movements.

Aoko, despite being seven, had a wealth of knowledge. In her pursuit of knowledge, she would read a wide variety of books with varying subject matters. From foreign law making policies to fantasy novels, she would read anything she could get her hands on.

Unfortunately, one genre she happened to came across was adult romance novels. Since then she has became uncomfortably aware of...suggestive actions. One she realized she was currently in.

As if touching fire, Aoko all but jumped off him and fell on her behind from backtracking too fast. Her face and the tips of her ears were ablaze in embarrassment.

She watched Kaito lift himself up and dust away as much mud he could off himself as she tried cooling her flaming face.

Aoko stiffened when Kaito turned back to face her. He stared at her for a moment before heading towards her, grimacing slightly.

Aoko was absolutely terrified.

For the past hour that she had come to know Kuroba Kaito, he had always kept his expression neutral except for the occasional slip up every now and then. But here he was, still frowning.

_Did I make him angry somehow?_

With every step, Aoko curled her legs towards her chest, trying to be as small as possible.

Her mouth opened up, ready to come up with any excuse to try to placate him, only to snap back up when she heard someone call out to Kaito.

"Kaito, honey, I'm back!"

She turned her head towards the direction of the voice seeing a young woman with short auburn hair and blue eyes. A shade or two lighter than Kaito's, she vaguely noted.

The woman, to say the least, attracted attention. Her entire attire she had on were name brand clothing which was quite odd to see at a park, but then again they were near the business and fashion district of town. She had a dozen or so large shopping bags which she switched to one hand to wave wildly in their direction. And she was absolutely stunning.

"Mom?"

Kaito seemed perplexed at her sudden appearance.

His mother continued walking their direction and Aoko was in wonderment as she watched how graceful she walked. Even with heels, walking on an uneven surface like grass would surely make the most balanced and coordinated person to falter in their step at one point, but not for his mother. She walked with confidence and stability, effortlessly in control of every movement she made.

It was like looking at a lioness. Each step made seemed languid and natural. But it was that very natural movement that made it seem so...abnormal somehow. As if her steps were calculated to feel natural.

Which didn't make much sense to Aoko because there was no one in the world who would be this calculative much less at a park.

Nonetheless, Aoko was sure of one thing.

She looked so cool.

* * *

Looking back, that was probably when her admiration for Chikage started.

* * *

A misunderstanding took place once Kaito's mother, Chikage-san (she insisted on just Chikage but I politely refused, slightly mortified to call her with such familiarity.* Although this made me realize from whom did Kaito inherited his personality.) was near enough to see our muddy appearance.

Chikage had thought Kaito had started a fight with me and he injured me somehow, which I couldn't really blame her as to how she came to this conclusion.

We were both covered with mud from head to toe, both looked exhausted and I was still sitting on the ground, knees curled to my chest, looking tense.

Chikage seemed all but ready to eat Kaito whole when she whipped her face towards her son. Kaito just needed one glance to his mother to realize he should get down on his knees and beg for mercy despite not knowing exactly what he did.

It felt like I was watching some dramatic comedy transpire right in front of me, and before I knew it, I was laughing at Kaito's absurd face when Chikage pulled his ear.

_Honestly, this whole day has been ridiculous_.

I wiped the tears that streamed my face from laughing too hard.

_When was the last time I laughed this hard?_

_I feel so refreshed._

"...did you get a concussion somehow?," Chikage asked stunned, watching me carefully to see if I sustained any injuries she couldn't visible see.

"Ugh, I think so," Kaito answered instead, rubbing his ear to try to sooth it from the pain, which Chikage in response lightly hit Kaito's head.

"I'm not talking to you."

"Ouch!"

I couldn't help but giggle watching them 'argue.' They seemed more like siblings than mother and son.

Once I was able to calm down my laughter, I tentatively stood up and called out to Chikage and explained the situation to her of how we meet and decided to play a game here at the park.

"Oh I see, but then why were you on the ground bleeding?" Chikage nodded before tilting her head to the side in question.

_Bleeding?_

I looked down at myself to see the palms of my hands were scratched up and bleeding slightly.

I just shrugged my shoulders and confusedly replied, "I have no idea how this happened. It might have been when I fell just before you came."

I didn't even notice the injury much less felt it yet she was able to notice it in the few seconds she had met me. She must have some crazy perspective skills.

Kaito looked...bothered when Chikage mentioned my palm.

It was hard to read him with that blank face but somehow I got that feeling as I looked at him.

_Maybe I should get some books on how to read body language when I visit the library next time to try to understand him better._

_Wait, next time?_

_Will there even be a next time?_

_I mean, do I even want there to be a next time?_

"-Aoko?" Chikage called out, knocking me out of my thoughts as I turned my head to face her which also made me realize I was staring shamelessly at Kaito all this time.

She stared at me expectantly, so I responded with a confused and embarrassed "yes?," hoping she hadn't noticed my absentmindness.

Chikage's face lit up as she clapped her hands together.

"Great! I'm so glad you agreed! Alright, we should probably get going before it gets too late."

_Huh? Late for what?_

I stood there rooted to my spot as Chikage and Kaito started to move away from me.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" Kaito asked looking back at me when he noticed I wasn't following them.

_What do you mean? Coming where?_

Chikage stopped as well when she heard Kaito.

"Is something wrong, Aoko-chan?"

_Everything is wrong! What are they talking about?_

"Uhhh"

I nervously fidgeted in my spot wanting to ask what exactly did I agree to but my insecurity of being viewed as an ignorant child in the end triumphed.

"No, it's nothing Chikage-san."

"Alright, just stay close so you don't get lost." Chikage smiled as she and Kaito continued forward.

I sighed heavily before resigning to my fate and started to trail after them.

_So much for stranger danger huh?_

_Dad is going to kill me._

* * *

*Just to clear this up, I will be writing their names without the honorifics just so it is easier to read despite it being in Aoko's POV. The exception is when Aoko speaks about someone directly or indirectly out loud, as seen a bit later in the same scene. That is the only time in which I will write out the honorific seeing as it is her character to do so.

AN: Welp, here we are again. Somehow it's a bit difficult to write them as children especially seeing as I keep imagining them as teenagers, but then again, it was shown that both Aoko and Kaito are quite intelligent. Hopefully, Aoko getting irritated at Kaito seemed natural. I hoped to show a bit of their childish nature by making Aoko giving into her emotions more although I couldn't help making Kaito cool as a cucumber with his poker face.

Anyways, as always, thank you for reading!

Please tell me what you think?


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